The award-winning producer also hopes that more thought, effort and resources will be invested in children’s films in India

Though currently busy with new projects, producer Mahesh Danannavar is still relishing the memory of his internationally acclaimed Gujarati film, ‘Gandhi & Co.’ winning the coveted ‘Golden Slipper’ at the 62nd Zlin Film Festival in the Czech Republic. He says, “The director Manish Saini and I knew ‘Gandhi & Co.’ was a special story but to see it win big at such a major festival made me realise the reach of a well-made children’s film. This is why I am thinking of dubbing the film in Hindi to take it to a wider audience in India. I also hope that more thought, effort and resources will be invested in children’s films in the near future.”

Children’s movies, he thinks, have always been few and far between in Hindi cinema and also sporadic in other industries. He says, “Back in 1997, I remember watching Urmila Matondkar’s ‘Chhota Chetan’ which was a dubbed version of 1984’s ‘My Dear Kuttichathan’, India’s first 3D movie in Malayalam. Quality films for kids like ‘Chillar Party’, ‘Blue Umbrella’, ‘Taare Zameen Par’, ‘I Am Kalam’, ’Stanley Ka Dabba’, Killa (Marathi) or ‘Kaaka Muttai’ (Tamil) also appear once in a blue moon. This should change. Children should have access to good films that are made with them in mind.”

He thinks, ‘Gandhi & Co’ struck the right balance because it wove Gandhian ideals into a feel-good story that resonated with both kids and adults. He says, “A limited number of Gujarati movies are produced each year and even fewer children’s films are made even though we have had Kirtan Patel’s ‘Back Bencher’ and Manish Saini’s National award-winning movie, ‘Dhh’. I really hope the success of ‘Gandhi & Co’ encourages more makers to tell children’s stories.”